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Journalism of Courage
The Election Commission (EC) has directed the Cabinet Secretary, state Chief Secretaries and all Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) to remove references to any minister, politician or political party from the official websites of central and state governments.
The poll watchdog has also prohibited print and electronic advertisements highlighting achievements of the government at the cost of public money.
“If any advertisement has already been released for telecast/ broadcast or publication in the print media, it must be ensured that the telecast/ broadcast of such ads on electronic media is stopped forthwith and no such ad is published in any newspapers, magazines, etc, ie. in print media, from the date of announcement and it should be immediately withdrawn,” the Commission’s order states.
Explained: Model Code of Conduct comes into effect; here is what that means
The instructions issued Sunday are in keeping with the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), which kicked in with the announcement of the poll dates. The 17th General Elections will be held in seven phases from April 11 to May 19. The results will be delivered on May 23. Elections to Legislative Assemblies in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Odisha will also be held simultaneously.
The MCC is a set of general precepts that are meant to guide the conduct of political parties and candidates contesting elections. It also has a set of guidelines to be followed by the party in power so that it cannot use the government machinery for political gains during campaign season.
In keeping with the spirit of the MCC, the EC on Sunday also forbade ministers from combining official visits with electioneering work and using official machinery like vehicles during electioneering work.
That apart, state and central government have been asked to remove all unauthorised political advertisements in the form of writings on walls, posters, hoardings, banners and flags from public property and public spaces such as airports, railway stations, bus stands, municipal buildings, government offices and buses within three days of announcement of poll dates.
